This week, perhaps, the most annoying statement on adulterous men came from the charming Hugh Grant. He pointed out that since men like to be “naughty”, the press should not be allowed access to their foibles. Even though he said it before the head of International Monetary Fund was caught allegedly with his pants down, undoubtedly

Grant’s ideal world is one where men can frolic with whom they like and not have to pay for the consequences.
Not just his statement, but a spate of recent “affairs” has raised the serious question on whether it is better to allow politicians, or indeed people in public sphere, to hang onto their privacy, by a respectful press (as in India). Or is it better to reveal all about their affairs because, ultimately, it can lead to some poor woman being saved from harassment. The debate is getting more heated now because often the issue of “cover-ups” is not restricted to extra-marital flings, but there may be other misdemeanours — which get concealed — if someone is powerful.
As is now clear, it was the secrecy and careful handling of Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s alleged affairs which made him think that he was, ultimately, above the law. The accusation is that if a woman succumbed to his aggressive advances, it would be simply termed consensual sex and dismissed. He was able to survive even though he was allegedly targeting women who were often junior to him in rank and status.
According to various surveys, powerful men are most likely to be adulterous. But does that mean that their wives and partners should be forgiving? Not all seem to agree with Grant’s defence of men. In particular, one intelligent wife in the United Kingdom — married to energy secretary Chris Huhne — has decided that she will not go away quietly.
Indeed, Vicky Pryce, Mr Huhne’s wife, is said to be writing a book called Thirty Minutes to Kill the Story. The title reflects the urgency with which her husband had revealed to her the fact that he was having an affair with his bisexual aide. The press had found out about it and so he confessed all to his wife in order to “kill” the story, limiting its potentially-damaging impact.
Cheating husbands and scorned wives have very much been the flavour of the month in Britain. The Huhne-Pryce story is just one among many others that are tumbling out. After the season of the “expenses scams”, it is now time for dangerous liaisons. Ms Pryce is a respected economist and apparently felt that she managed being a mother, a politician’s wife and her own career very successfully. Thus, she was astonished and hurt with the sudden turn of events when her husband suddenly announced his “affair”.
However, now she is not only writing a tell-all book, there is also an earlier case of a broken traffic law in which she has managed to implicate her husband. Because Ms Pryce, obviously, does not believe in Grant’s egregious advice, this is becoming an extremely acrimonious separation and one that is playing out in full media glare. The allegation is that Mr Huhne, seven years ago, had broken a speed limit on a highway. When the police contacted him, he said his wife had been driving and put the points on her driving licence. Breaking a speed limit was a minor offence, but Mr Huhne may have made it much, much worse if he did, indeed, lie about it. One big problem is that Ms Pryce was attending a dinner at the London School of Economics that evening and could not have been driving.
So far, the government has supported him but already rumours are doing the rounds that if Ms Pryce is proven innocent, he would have to quit. Ms Pryce has apparently said she is willing to go to court to give evidence against her husband. With this, a fresh debate has started. Should wives be silent and supportive no matter what the husband does, a la Hillary Clinton? Or should they kick up a fuss like Ms Pryce and now Maria Shriver, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s recently estranged wife?
Is this a case of “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” or do women like Ms Pryce genuinely believe there is life beyond marriage, and thus should be encouraged not to let their adulterous partners get away with it? Sorry, Grant! The world is not often what you want it to be…

Meanwhile… Dishoom! I was walking peacefully down my favourite stretch along the South Bank, crossing the river on foot at Waterloo Bridge. On one side I could see Westminster and on the other side the famous Gherkin. Everything was as it should be. And then my eye was caught by the bright yellow paint splattered across the buildings and the wonderful word “Dishoom!” shocked me. It was written in Hindi and in English and was plastered all over a wall.
I thought that I was dreaming. But I pinched myself and it was true. Stretched below on the embankment was Chowpatty Beach, recreated with sand and boats loaded with fresh coconuts. And Dishoom turned out to be a fun restaurant selling everyone’s favourite Mumbaiyya snacks — bhelpuri, pao-bhaji… and, yes, even kala khatta, and this one spiked with alcohol, if one so wanted. It was too early in the day for that, but I could not resist the bhelpuri.
This lovely little part of Mumbai has been created (along with other restaurants) as part of the Summer of Smiles festival on the South Bank. Wandering around “Chowpatty Beach” and grabbing a bhelpuri at Dishoom, one realised how little it takes to bring a part of another distant world into your own.
Happily, despite this government’s anti-immigration policies, there are many ways that the average Londoner has become truly global. And nothing can reverse that. And no matter how much people grumble about it, the links with India out here continue to grow stronger and stronger. Dishoom!

The author can be contacted at kishwardesai@yahoo.com